At very first we believed that [Pete Prodoehl] was utilizing the wrong term when calling his job a Laser Kaleidoscope. We typically believe of a kaleidoscope as a long tube with three mirrors and some beads or glass shards in one end. but we looked it up and there’s a second definition that implies a continuously changing pattern. This fits the bill. just like the laser Spirograph from last week, it makes elegant patterns utilizing spinning mirrors. but [Pete] went with a number of 3D printed parts rather than repurposing PC fans.
In the foreground you can see the potentiometers which adjust the motor speeds. The knobs for these were all 3D printed. He also printed the installing brackets for the three motors and the laser diode. A third set of printed parts makes installing the round mirrors on the motor shaft rather easy. all of this came together with extremely tight tolerances as shown by the advanced shapes he handles to create in the video after the break.